2005 SATURN ION Owners Manual

There is an airbag
readiness light on the
instrument panel cluster,
which shows the airbag
symbol.
The system checks the airbag electrical system for
malfunctions. The light tells you if there is an electrical
problem. SeeAirbag Readiness Light on page 3-28
for more information.Where Are the Airbags?
The driver’s frontal airbag is in the middle of the
steering wheel.
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The right front passenger’s frontal airbag is in the
instrument panel on the passenger’s side.If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the driver
and the person seated directly behind the driver, it is in
the ceiling above the side windows.
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If your vehicle has a side impact airbag for the right
front passenger and the person seated directly behind
that passenger, it is in the ceiling above the side
windows.
{CAUTION:
If something is between an occupant and an
airbag, the bag might not inate properly or it
might force the object into that person causing
severe injury or even death. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear. Do not put
anything between an occupant and an airbag,
and do not attach or put anything on the
steering wheel hub or on or near any other
airbag covering. And, if your vehicle has
roof-mounted side impact airbags, never secure
anything to the roof of your vehicle by routing
the rope or tiedown through any door or window
opening. If you do, the path of an inating side
impact airbag will be blocked. The path of an
inating airbag must be kept clear.
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When Should an Airbag Inate?
The driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags
are designed to inate in moderate to severe frontal
or near-frontal crashes. But they are designed to inate
only if the impact exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds take into account
a variety of desired deployment and non-deployment
events and are used to predict how severe a crash
is likely to be in time for the airbags to inate and help
restrain the occupants. Whether your frontal airbags
will or should deploy is not based on how fast your
vehicle is traveling. It depends largely on what you hit,
the direction of the impact and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
In addition, your vehicle has “dual stage” frontal airbags,
which adjust the restraint according to crash severity.
Your vehicle is equipped with electronic frontal sensors
which help the sensing system distinguish between a
moderate frontal impact and a more severe frontal
impact. For moderate frontal impacts, these airbags
inate at a level less than full deployment. For
more severe frontal impacts, full deployment occurs.If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall that
does not move or deform, the threshold level for the
reduced deployment is about 16 to 20 mph
(26 to 32 km/h), and the threshold level for a full
deployment is 25 to 30 mph (40 to 48 km/h). (The
threshold level can vary, however, with specic vehicle
design, so that it can be somewhat above or below
this range.)
Frontal airbags may inate at different crash speeds.
For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary object, the airbags
could inate at a different crash speed than if the
object were moving.
If the vehicle hits an object that deforms, the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed than
if the vehicle hits an object does not deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object (like a pole) the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object (like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at an angle the
airbags could inate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle goes straight into the object.
The frontal airbags (driver and right front passenger) are
not intended to inate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
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Your vehicle may or may not have side impact airbags.
SeeAirbag System on page 1-49. Side impact
airbags are intended to inate in moderate to severe
side crashes. A side impact airbag will inate if the crash
severity is above the system’s designed “threshold
level.” The threshold level can vary with specic vehicle
design. Side impact airbags are not intended to
inate in frontal or near-frontal impacts, rollovers or rear
impacts. A side impact airbag is intended to deploy
on the side of the vehicle that is struck.
It is possible that, in a crash involving the front of your
vehicle, only one of the two frontal airbags in your
vehicle will deploy. This is rare, but it can happen in a
crash just severe enough to make a frontal airbag
inate.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an
airbag should have inated simply because of the
damage to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs
were. For frontal airbags, ination is determined by
what the vehicle hits, the angle of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal and
near-frontal impacts. For side impact airbags, ination is
determined by the location and severity of the impact.What Makes an Airbag Inate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inator, which inates the airbag. The inator, airbag,
and related hardware are all part of the airbag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the right front passenger. For vehicles
with side impact airbags, there are also airbag modules
in the ceiling of the vehicle, near the side windows.
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How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside
of the vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
provided by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But the
frontal airbags would not help you in many types
of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts, and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion
is not toward the airbag. Side impact airbags would not
help you in many types of collisions, including many
frontal or near frontal collisions, rollovers, and rear
impacts, primarily because an occupant’s motion is not
toward those airbags. Airbags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions for the driver’s and right front
passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in moderate to
severe side collisions for vehicles with a driver’s
and right front passenger’s side impact airbag.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inates?
After an airbag inates, it quickly deates, so quickly
that some people may not even realize the airbag
inated. Some components of the airbag module — the
steering wheel hub for the driver’s airbag, the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s bag or
the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows — will
be hot for a short time. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm, but not too
hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deated airbags. Airbag ination
does not prevent the driver from seeing or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from leaving
the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
When an airbag inates, there is dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in
the vehicle should get out as soon as it is safe
to do so. If you have breathing problems but
cannot get out of the vehicle after an airbag
inates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or a door. If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.In many crashes severe enough to inate an airbag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the
right front passenger airbag.Airbags are designed to inate only once. After an
airbag inates, you will need some new parts for
your airbag system. If you do not get them,
the airbag system will not be there to help protect
you in another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts. The
service manual for your vehicle covers the need to
replace other parts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module which records information after
a crash. SeeVehicle Data Collection and Event
Data Recorders on page 7-7.
Let only qualied technicians work on your airbag
system. Improper service can mean that your
airbag system will not work properly. See your
dealer for service.
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Notice:If you damage the covering for the driver’s
or the right front passenger’s airbag, or the side
impact airbag covering on the ceiling near the side
windows, the airbag may not work properly. You
may have to replace the airbag module in the
steering wheel, both the airbag module and the
instrument panel for the right front passenger’s
airbag, or side impact airbag module and ceiling
covering for roof-mounted side impact airbags. Do
not open or break the airbag coverings.
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped
Vehicle
Airbags affect how your vehicle should be serviced.
There are airbag system parts in several places around
your vehicle. You do not want the system to inate
while someone is working on your vehicle. Your retailer
and the Saturn Service Manual have information
about servicing your vehicle and the airbag system. To
purchase a service manual, seeService Publications
Ordering Information on page 7-9.
{CAUTION:
For up to one minute after the ignition key is
turned off and the battery is disconnected, an
airbag can still inate during improper service.
You can be injured if you are close to an
airbag when it inates. Avoid wires wrapped
with yellow tape, yellow coverings, or yellow
connectors. They are probably part of the
airbag systems. Be sure to follow proper
service procedures, and make sure the person
performing work for you is qualied to do so.
The airbag system does not need regular maintenance.
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